Gary King stops in Carlsbad for 'Listening" tour

The Democrat gubernatorial candidate stopped in Carlsbad Wednesday night with intentions to listen to residents as part of his "Education Vision and Listening" tour.

"As I was campaigning I would meet with teachers and heard some pretty interesting issues in education," King said Wednesday morning before the event. "So we said, let's go around and listen to what is happening in certain districts so that we are more knowledgable about education."

King, a former resident of Carlsbad, said that the tour is a listening tool which he hopes will help shape his education policy as he continues his campaign against Republican incumbent Susana Martinez.

Carlsbad was the fourth stop on the state-wide tour. King said previous forums in Gallup, Socorro and Espanola have drawn comments from not only educators but parents and other stakeholder about some of the state's biggest education issues; testing, teacher evaluations and grade based proficiency and funding.

"What we are hearing is that it's not about testing per se, or even evaluations, but teachers are saying they want a system based on their skills as educators," King said. "Right now about 45 days are dedicated to testing, taking away from actual teaching."

The democratic candidate said he was looking forward to hearing about the Carlsbad's challenges when it comes to education, including the effects of the oil and gas boom on infrastructure and housing.

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King's recent outspokenness on the issue of education has garnered a response from Martinez's camp.

"New Mexico's graduation rate is improving faster than any other state in the country, but Gary King wants to stop the progress we've made and return our state to the days of Bill Richardson. In November, voters will reject King's plan to strip funding for tutoring and reading coaches because they know it will take our state backward," said Chris Sanchez, spokesman for the governor.